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Book Rankings
Finding the perfect book can be difficult. To help others avoid my struggles, I set out to create a tool for quickly browsing books related to leadership, education, and personal growth.
The end result is this book rankings list. The order is highly subjective and should not treated as gospel. Rankings are loosely based on each book's impact on my life, meaning you may discover a much different outcome.
There are two key ideas to keep in mind when exploring these rankings. First, I will often read something I believe to be insignificant, only to later realize the importance of the idea. These rankings reflect these new discoveries. Second, if two books share a similar topic, there is a good chance the book I read first will be ranked higher given my second encounter of the same information was not as meaningful.
Check out my Book Summaries page where I provide three big takeaways, other key ideas, and an opportunity to purchase each book.
Is a book too high, too low, or completely missing? Email me at dr.jaredrsmith@gmail.com with your thoughts!
Overall Rank | Book | Author | Genre | Genre Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Atomic Habits | James Clear | Personal Growth | 1 | Practical strategies teach you exactly how to form good habits and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results |
2 | The Advantage | Patrick Lencioni | Leadership & Management | 1 | No better way to achieve profound improvement in an organization than by attacking dysfunction, politics, and confusion |
3 | Principles | Ray Dalio | Leadership & Management | 2 | Dalio shares the unconventional principles he's developed, refined, and used to create unique results in both life and business |
4 | Power of Moments | Chip Heath (+1) | Psychology | 1 | Why certain experiences can change us - and how we can learn to create such extraordinary moments in our life and work |
5 | The Leadership Challenge | James Kouzes (+1) | Leadership & Management | 3 | The gold-standard manual for effective leadership, grounded in research and written by the premier authorities in the field |
6 | The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People | Stephen Covey | Personal Growth | 2 | Covey's beloved classic presents a principle-centered approach for solving both personal and professional problems |
7 | Good to Great | Jim Collins | Leadership & Management | 4 | Jim Collins analyzes the histories of 28 companies, discovering why some companies make the leap and others don't |
8 | The Total Money Makeover | Dave Ramsey | Finance | 1 | Dave Ramsey provides a simple, straightforward game plan for completely making over your personal finance habits |
9 | What Great Principals Do Differently | Todd Whitaker | Education | 1 | With heartfelt advice and practical wisdom, Todd Whitaker explains the qualities and practices that distinguish great principals |
10 | Hacking Leadership | Joe Sanfelippo (+1) | Education | 2 | When leaders use a collaborative approach for improvement, achievement soars and schools are full of enthusiastic members |
11 | 21 Laws of Leadership | John Maxwell | Leadership & Management | 5 | If you want to make a difference in your life and in those around you, these "21 Laws" should should be required reading |
12 | Deep Work | Cal Newport | Personal Growth | 3 | The ability to harvest deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy |
13 | Getting Things Done | David Allen | Personal Growth | 4 | The ultimate book on personal organization, "GTD" provides a system for approaching professional and personal tasks |
14 | The Effective Manager | Mark Horstman | Leadership & Management | 6 | This hands-on practical guide distills the author's management training expertise into clear, actionable steps to start taking today |
15 | When | Daniel Pink | Psychology | 2 | Daniel Pink unlocks the scientific secrets to good timing that will help you help you flourish at work, at school, and at home |
16 | So Good They Can't Ignore You | Cal Newport | Personal Growth | 5 | Mandatory for anyone frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a new way to take control of their livelihood |
17 | How to Win Friends & Influence People | Dale Carnegie | Psychology | 3 | Dale Carnegie’s time-tested advice has carried countless people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives |
18 | The Power of Positive Leadership | Jon Gordon | Leadership & Management | 7 | Being a positive leader is not just a nice way to lead, it's the way to lead if you want to achieve excellence and superior results |
19 | Culturize | Jimmy Casas | Education | 3 | Insights into what it takes to cultivate a community of learners who embody kindness, honesty, and compassion |
20 | Tools of Titans | Tim Ferriss | Personal Growth | 6 | This book contains the tools, tactics, and life hacks from highly successful individuals you won't find anywhere else |
21 | The Happiness Advantage | Shawn Achor | Psychology | 4 | Some great tips and research supporting how a positive and optimistic approach to life will ultimately lead to success |
22 | The Effective Executive | Peter Drucker | Leadership & Management | 8 | Drucker - the "dean" management philosophers - looks to the most influential position in management: the executive |
23 | Thinner This Year | Chris Crowley (+1) | Personal Growth | 7 | The book that tells every reader how to lose weight, discover new vitality, and get in the best shape of your life |
24 | Why We Sleep | Matthew Walker | Personal Growth | 8 | A revolutionary way of being cleverer, more attractive, slimmer, happier, healthier and of warding off cancer: a good night’s sleep |
25 | The 10X Rule | Grant Cardone | Personal Growth | 9 | Success is your duty, obligation and responsibility, and this book gives you guidance on how to achieve phenomenal goals |
26 | Bigger Leaner Stronger | Michael Matthews | Personal Growth | 10 | If you want to get muscular, lean, and strong as quickly as possible - regardless of age - you want to read this book |
27 | Radical Candor | Kim Scott | Leadership & Management | 9 | This book offers a guide to those bewildered or exhausted by management, written for bosses and those who manage bosses |
28 | The Innovator's Mindset | George Couros | Education | 4 | Encourages teachers and administrators to empower their learners to wonder, explore, and to become forward-thinking leaders |
29 | Dare to Lead | Brene Brown | Leadership & Management | 10 | Challenges everything you know about brave leadership and gives you actionable tools for choosing courage over comfort |
30 | ReWork | Jason Fried (+1) | Leadership & Management | 11 | In a world where we all keep getting asked to do more with less, the authors show us how to do less and create more |
31 | Digital Minimalism | Cal Newport | Personal Growth | 11 | If you’re looking for a blueprint to liberate yourself from the shackles of smartphones and screens, let this book be your guide |
32 | The 5am Club | Robin Sharma | Personal Growth | 12 | Discover the early-rising habit that has helped so many accomplish epic results while upgrading their happiness |
33 | The 4 Disciplines of Execution | Chris McChesney (+2) | Leadership & Management | 12 | 4DX is a simple, proven formula for executing your most important strategic priorities in the midst of the whirlwind |
34 | Relentless | Hamish Brewer | Education | 5 | Hamish Brewer proves that passion, love, and thinking outside the box has the power to change children's lives |
35 | The 4 Hour Workweek | Tim Ferriss | Personal Growth | 13 | With time management and focus on the important things, people should be able to get much more done in a normal work week |
36 | Leading a High Reliability School | Robert Marzano (+3) | Education | 6 | With this user-friendly resource, you will learn how to implement powerful professional learning community (PLC) structures |
37 | How to Fail at Almost Everything... | Scott Adams | Personal Growth | 14 | Adams describes his unusual life and shares how he turned one failure after another into something good and lasting |
38 | Content Inc. | Joe Pulizzi | Leadership & Management | 13 | Joe Pulizzi flips the traditional entrepreneurial approach of first creating a product and then trying to find customers |
39 | Remote | Jason Fried (+1) | Leadership & Management | 14 | What you'll find in Remote is profound advice from guys who have succeeded in the virtual workforce arena |
40 | High Impact Instruction | Jim Knight | Education | 7 | Masterful resource for teachers to improve student achievement through a host of clearly defined instructional practices |
41 | Getting to Yes | Roger Fisher (+1) | Leadership & Management | 15 | This book offers a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict |
42 | It Doesn't Have to be Crazy at Work | Jason Fried (+1) | Leadership & Management | 16 | Rejects the prevailing notion that long hours, aggressive hustle, and "whatever it takes" are required to run a successful business |
43 | The Compound Effect | Darren Hardy | Personal Growth | 15 | Outlines the fundamental principles that have guided the most phenomenal achievements in business, relationships, and beyond |
44 | EntreLeadership | Dave Ramsey | Leadership & Management | 17 | One-stop guide filled with accessible advice for businesses and leaders to ensure success even through the toughest of times |
45 | Tribe of Mentors | Tim Ferriss | Personal Growth | 16 | A compilation of tools, tactics, and habits from over 130 of the world's top performers and most successful individuals |
46 | It's the Manager | Jim Clifton (+1) | Leadership & Management | 18 | Who is the most important person in your organization to lead your teams through tough changes? It's your managers |
47 | How to Talk to Anyone | Leil Lowndes | Personal Growth | 17 | Lowndes offers nearly 100 easy and effective sure fire techniques for communicating your way to success |
48 | Super Thinking | Gabriel Weinberg (+1) | Psychology | 5 | Great problem-solvers rely on a set of frameworks that help them cut through complexity and separate good ideas from bad ones |
49 | Measure What Matters | John Doerr | Leadership & Management | 19 | In this goal-setting system, objectives define what we seek to achieve; key results are how those top-priority goals will be attained |
50 | How to Create a Culture of Achievement | Douglas Fisher (+2) | Education | 8 | No school improvement effort will be effective unless school culture is addressed, this book provides five pillars for attainment |
51 | I Will Teach You to Be Rich | Ramit Sethi | Finance | 2 | This book contains serious advice on personal-finance decisions from budgeting and savings to spending and investing |
52 | Happy Money | Elizabeth Dunn (+1) | Psychology | 6 | Fascinating and cutting-edge research in behavioral science to explain how money can buy true happiness |
53 | Not a Diet Book | James Smith | Personal Growth | 18 | Achieve incredible results from dieting and training while identifying the fads nonsense that get in the way of lasting progress |
54 | Ultralearning | Scott Young | Personal Growth | 19 | Learn a new talent, stay relevant, reinvent yourself, and adapt to whatever the workplace might throw your way |
55 | The Culture Code | Daniel Coyle | Leadership & Management | 20 | Coyle goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations and reveals what makes them operate at high levels |
56 | Sleep Smater | Shawn Stevenson | Personal Growth | 20 | Good sleep helps you shed fat, stave off disease, stay productive, and improve virtually every function of your mind and body |
57 | Outliers | Malcolm Gladwell | Psychology | 7 | Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers" - the best and brightest, the famous and successful |
58 | Upstream | Dan Heath | Psychology | 8 | Dan Heath explores how to prevent problems before they happen, drawing on insights from unconventional problem solvers |
59 | Made to Stick | Chip Heath (+1) | Psychology | 9 | The instant classic about why some ideas thrive, why others die, and how to improve your idea’s chances in the "fake news" era |
60 | Leaders Eat Last | Simon Sinek | Leadership & Management | 21 | Sinek explains why some teams trust each other so deeply they would literally put their lives on the line for each other |
61 | Drive | Daniel Pink | Psychology | 10 | Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does—and how that affects every aspect of life |
62 | 10% Happier | Dan Harris | Psychology | 11 | Insightful, engaging, and hilarious tour of the mind’s darker corners and what we can do to find a bit of peace in our busy life |
63 | The Power of Habit | Charles Duhigg | Psychology | 12 | Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed |
64 | Crucial Conversations | Al Switzler (+2) | Leadership & Management | 22 | The quality of life depends on important conversations - this book teaches how to approach pivotal moments with confidence |
65 | The 4 Hour Body | Tim Ferriss | Personal Growth | 21 | Collective wisdom of hundreds of elite athletes, dozens of MDs, and thousands of hours of personal experimentation |
66 | Own the Day, Own Your Life | Aubrey Marcus | Personal Growth | 22 | One day of positive choices leads to a lifetime of concrete strategies for better living, optimal performance, and a stronger mind |
67 | Making Every Meeting Matter | Harvard Business | Leadership & Management | 23 | When you prepare for meetings, you’ll stay focused, solve problems, gain consensus, and leave each meeting ready for action |
68 | Real Money: Sane Investing... | Jim Cramer | Finance | 3 | Even after repeated boom and bust cycles on Wall Street, it’s still possible to make real money in the stock market |
69 | First, Break All the Rules | Jim Harter (+1) | Leadership & Management | 24 | Gallup presents the findings of its study of more than 80,000 managers revealing what the world’s best managers do differently |
70 | Everybody Writes | Ann Handley | Personal Growth | 23 | Handley provides readers with go-to guide for creating and publishing content that will help you thrive in the workplace |
71 | On Writing Well | William Zinsser | Personal Growth | 24 | This is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day |
72 | The Intelligent Investor | Benjamin Graham | Finance | 4 | No guarantees or gimmicks, this timeless classic overflows with the wisdom at the core of all good portfolio management |
73 | Shifting the Monkey | Todd Whitaker | Education | 9 | Learn how to focus on your good employees first, and help them shift responsibility back to the under-performers |
74 | High Output Management | Andrew Grove | Leadership & Management | 25 | A practical handbook for navigating real-life business scenarios with the ability to revolutionize the way we work |
75 | The Hard Thing About Hard Things | Ben Horowitz | Leadership & Management | 26 | Essential ideas and practical wisdom for running an organization; covers dilemmas graduate school doesn’t cover |
76 | What Got You Here Won't Get You... | Marshall Goldsmith | Leadership & Management | 27 | One of America’s most sought-after executive coaches shows how to climb the last few rungs of the leadership ladder |
77 | The Infinite Game | Simon Sinek | Leadership & Management | 28 | Sinek reminds us that leaders who embrace an infinite mindset build stronger, more innovative, more inspiring organizations |
78 | Contagious Culture | Anese Cavanaugh | Leadership & Management | 29 | This exciting new era of work demands a workplace culture that is collaborative, productive, energized, and contagious |
79 | Start With Why | Simon Sinek | Leadership & Management | 30 | This books helps people become more inspired at work, so they can inspire their colleagues and customers |
80 | Bird by Bird | Anne Lamott | Personal Growth | 25 | Think you've got a book inside of you? Anne Lamott will help you find your passion and your voice to let it all out |
81 | 12: The Elements of Great Managing | Rodd Wagner (+1) | Leadership & Management | 31 | Gallup used its database of 1 million interviews to identify the 12 elements most important for sustaining high performance |
82 | Stillness is the Key | Ryan Holiday | Psychology | 13 | Holiday shows why slowing down and practicing solitude is the secret weapon for those individuals who are charging ahead |
83 | Permission Marketing | Seth Godin | Leadership & Management | 32 | The groundbreaking concept that enables marketers to shape their message so that consumers will willingly accept it |
84 | Fierce Leadership | Susan Scott | Leadership & Management | 33 | From the author "Fierce Conversations" comes the antidote to some of the most wrongheaded practices of business today |
85 | Dealing with Difficult Teachers | Todd Whitaker | Education | 10 | This book provides tips and strategies to help school leaders improve, neutralize, or eliminate resistant and negative teachers |
86 | Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics | Dan Harris | Psychology | 14 | Too busy to meditate? Can’t turn off your brain? Curious about mindfulness but don't like the stigma? This book is for you |
87 | A Random Walk Down Wallstreet | Burton Malkiel | Finance | 5 | Talk to 10 money experts and you’re likely to hear 10 recommendations for Burton Malkiel’s classic investing book |
88 | Everyday Millionaires | Chris Hogan | Finance | 6 | Building wealth has nothing to do with your income, your background, or where you come from. It matters where you’re going |
89 | The Coaching Habit | Michael Bungay Stanier | Leadership & Management | 34 | Coaching should become a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less and produce more |
90 | Do It! Speaking | David Newman | Personal Growth | 26 | Discover the principles, practices, and insider secrets of paid professional speaking success in 77 easy to read sections |
91 | 5 Levels of Leadership | John Maxwell | Leadership & Management | 35 | Maxwell describes how to master each level of leadership and rise up to become an influential and respected leader |
92 | The One Thing | Gary Keller | Leadership & Management | 36 | Teaches you the tricks to cut through the clutter, achieve better results, dial down stress, and master what matters to you |
93 | The Little Big Things | Tom Peters | Leadership & Management | 37 | Those who want to improve their professional life will find great ideas in this compelling and very browsable book |
94 | The First 90 Days | Michael Watkins | Leadership & Management | 38 | Watkins offers proven strategies for conquering the challenges of transitions, no matter where you are in your career |
95 | Choose Yourself | James Altucher | Personal Growth | 27 | Frustrated with following the normal professional career path? Bet on yourself and forge your own trail to success |
96 | Ideas Ideas Ideas | Steve Bollar | Education | 11 | Ideas for celebrating student achievements, and the staff members who helped make those achievements happen |
97 | Multipliers | Liz Wiseman | Leadership & Management | 39 | Explore why some leaders drain capability and intelligence from their teams while others amplify it to produce better results |
98 | Retire Inspired | Chris Hogan | Finance | 7 | Whether you're 25 and starting your first job or 55 with your career winding down, today is the day to get serious about retirement |
99 | Finding Ultra | Rich Roll | Personal Growth | 28 | Rich Roll (yes, that's his name) shares his remarkable story of going through midlife transformation from out of shape to Ironman |
100 | The Laws of Human Nature | Robert Greene | Psychology | 15 | Greene's huge, complex book decodes the behavior of the people around you to help with success and self-improvement |
101 | Big Potential | Shawn Achor | Psychology | 16 | "The Happiness Advantage" author Shawn Achor shows how to unlock hidden sources of potential in ourselves and others |
102 | Death By Meeting | Patrick Lencioni | Leadership & Management | 40 | A blueprint for leaders looking to eliminate frustration among their teams, and create environments of engagement and passion |
103 | Epic Content Marketing | Joe Pulizzi | Leadership & Management | 41 | Pulizzi explains how to draw prospects and customers in by creating information and content they actually want to engage with |
104 | Growth Hacker Marketing | Ryan Holiday | Leadership & Management | 42 | Growth hackers believe products and businesses should be readily modified until they're primed to generate explosive reactions |
105 | The Tipping Point | Malcolm Gladwell | Psychology | 17 | A tipping point is the magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold and spreads like wildfire |
106 | Where Good Ideas Come From | Steven Johnson | Psychology | 18 | Questions such as "What sparks the flash of brilliance?" and "How does groundbreaking innovation happen?" are posed |
107 | Talk Like Ted | Carmine Gallo | Personal Growth | 29 | Public speaking coach Carmine Gallo explores what makes a great presentation by examining the widely acclaimed TED Talks |
108 | Tribes | Seth Godin | Leadership & Management | 43 | If you need to rally fellow employees, customers, or readers around an idea, this book will demystify the process |
109 | The Paradox of Choice | Barry Schwartz | Psychology | 19 | Everyday decisions have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choices we are presented |
110 | The 8th Habit | Stephen Covey | Personal Growth | 30 | The sequel to "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" is a guide to accessing and encouraging the human potential for greatness |
111 | A Liberated Mind | Steve Hayes | Psychology | 20 | Allowing ourselves to feel fully and think freely allows us to move toward commitment to what truly matters in our lives |
112 | Built to Last | Jim Collins | Leadership & Management | 44 | Jim Collins gives practical guidance to those who would like to build landmark companies that stand the test of time |
113 | How the Mighty Fall | Jim Collins | Leadership & Management | 45 | Offers leaders the hope that they can learn how to stave off decline and, if they find themselves falling, reverse their course |
114 | Great by Choice | Jim Collins | Leadership & Management | 46 | Ten years "Good to Great", Jim Collins asks: Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others do not? |
115 | Talking to Strangers | Malcolm Gladwell | Psychology | 21 | Malcolm Gladwell offers a powerful examination of our interactions with strangers - and why they often go wrong |
116 | Perennial Seller | Ryan Holiday | Leadership & Management | 47 | Why do some products endure while most books, movies, songs, and pieces of art disappear quickly after initial success? |
117 | This Is Marketing | Seth Godin | Leadership & Management | 48 | Great marketers don't use consumers to solve their company's problem; they use marketing to solve other people's problems |
118 | Steal Like an Artist | Austin Kleon | Personal Growth | 31 | Nothing is original, so embrace influence, school yourself through the work of others, and reimagine to discover your own path |
119 | Influencer | Kerry Patterson (+4) | Leadership & Management | 49 | You'll be taught each step of the influence process including strategies for making change in your personal and professional life |
120 | How Full is Your Bucket? | Tom Rath (+1) | Leadership & Management | 50 | "How Full Is Your Bucket?" reveals how even the briefest interactions affect your relationships, productivity, health, and longevity |
121 | Get Rich with Dividends | Marc Lichtenfeld | Finance | 8 | This dividend investing book shows investors how to achieve double digit returns using a time tested conservative strategy |
122 | The Truth About Leadership | James Kouzes (+1) | Leadership & Management | 51 | Ten leadership truths showing what leaders must know, the questions they must answer, and the real-world issues they will face |
123 | Gorilla Mindset | Mike Cernovich | Personal Growth | 32 | Provides actionable steps you can take to bring your life to the next level, or even get yourself motivated for change |
124 | The Ideal Team Player | Patrick Lencioni | Leadership & Management | 52 | Lencioni presents a practical framework and actionable tools for identifying, hiring, and developing ideal team players |
125 | Stop Acting Rich | Thomas Stanley | Finance | 9 | Almost anyone can become wealthy - even without a super high income. Just stop acting... and start living like a rich person |
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